Argentina’s number 10 could belong to someone else after World Cup 2022
The footballing world is currently waiting for the biggest sporting event, World Cup 2022. It’s when the stars aline under one roof for one dream only – to take the World Cup trophy home.
After the announcement that Lionel Messi made on October 6, a lot of fans have all been saying the same thing: Argentina should win the World Cup.
The announcement was that Qatar 2022 will be Messi’s last World Cup.
He told Sebastián Vignolo: “This will be my last World Cup — for sure. The decision has been made.”
With that in mind, we have decided to take a look at players, who could inherit No. 10 after Messi.
Julian Alvarez is one of the brightest stars on the Argentina national team. His performances on the international level caught the attention of Manchester City and they signed the youngster during the summer transfer window. The 22-year-old made his debut for Argentina in the summer of 2021 and so far has made 11 appearances in which he has scored 2 goals.
Paulo Dybala might be the best choice for a number 10 as he has been labeled “the next Messi” several times. Dybala made his debut for the international team back in 2015. So far the 28-year-old has made 34 appearances in which he has scored 3 goals.
Lautaro Martinez has been playing on an international level since 2018. The 25-year-old has made overall 40 appearances in which he has scored 21 goals. Martinez wears Number 10 at the back of his jersey for Inter Milan and Argentina could also go with Martinez switching from 22 to 10 after Messi retires.
Rodrigo de Pal might not be the obvious choice for a No. 10 but as he has worn the number when playing for Udinese and Racing Club, Argentina could go with that. The 28-year-old made a huge impact during the Copa America winning season and caught the eyes of Atletico Madrid, as they signed him in the summer of 2021. On an international level, De Paul has made 43 appearances in which he has scored 2 goals.
Angel Correa is teammates with De Paul both on an international and club level. The player’s current number at Atletico is 10. He has been representing Argentina since 2015. Correa has made 22 appearances in which he has scored 3 goals.